Toby the Lab
by Prophet19
Summary: Strange events surround the arrival of a labrador puppy to the tower.


Toby the Lab

I'm not jealous.

I'm _not_.

And I certainly have no feelings whatsoever for the "Boy Blunder."

For my sanity, I hope I don't.

I woke up from a pleasant dream to hear Starfire sounding off about something. To be honest, I didn't care. I can't remember what the dream was, but I felt warm and safe. Deciding to forego my tea that morning, I went back to sleep. I had a dream of someone wrapping his arms around me.

* * *

Sometimes, I wish that I were someone else. If I wasn't Robin, leader of the Titans, I could let go. 

I could tell her…

Nah, too risky.

I was safely asleep, dreaming of holding _her_ in my arms. We were warm, happy. She was looking into my eyes, my eyes, and not the mask. I was trapped in those amethyst depths, and I was going to tell her how I feel, but…

Starfire's loud voice startled me out of sleep. It seemed, from what I could clearly hear, that Cyborg or Beast Boy had stolen Star's recipe book.

Raven's lucky. Her room is the farthest one from the lounge. For a moment, I let my mind toy with the notion of staying my room until much later, of not leaving my bed, in fact. Of course, my damnable sense of normality and duty dragged me out of bed, and down the hall to make an appearance.

Seriously, I sometimes hate being myself.

* * *

Robin yawned. Not that he was tired; the young hero was simply bored to tears. Not even the Hive Five had made an appearance in a few days. 

And Robin could only play games with Cyborg and Beastboy so much. Not to mention, but any time he was alone with Starfire recently, she'd tried to cram nasty Tamaranian food down his throat.

And Raven, well, Robin wasn't sure he trusted himself alone with her. She'd likely try to kill him if he tried anything. He perked up a bit when Raven walked into the lounge. She had something trapped in a bag, something alive.

"Beast Boy…" She called, her tone seeming to chill the room. Beastboy began to shake, but he knew better than to ignore Raven.

"Yeah?" He asked, trying to smile. Raven held the bag up.

"What. Is. This?" Raven asked slowly. The thing in the bag squirmed once.

"Well, you see…" Beast boy said, trying to think of a way to survive.

"What's in there, Raven?" Robin asked. She didn't have to answer, though. When Robin spoke, a small bark rang out. "Beast Boy, why did you bring a dog here?"  
"He's just a puppy…" Beast Boy whined. "And he was alone. What was I suppose to do?"

"Take this dog to a shelter?" Raven prompted. "I don't know how it got into my room, but if I find this mutt anywhere near there again, I'm sending it as far from this planet as possible!"

* * *

Robin jabbed the punching bag, then ducked an imaginary blow. He stepped back, and landed with a bone-jarring thud when he tripped. 

The small black lab pup wriggled out from under Robin's heel, and yipped. Robin picked the dog but the scruff of its neck, and set of to yell at Beast Boy.

* * *

Raven sat in the lounge, by herself. Starfire was off somewhere, doing something weird, and Cyborg, to save the changeling's life, had taken him out for a spin in the T-Car. She looked up from her book when she heard footsteps. 

She almost smiled when Robin came into the room.

"Have you seen Beast Boy? His dog nearly killed me."

"Cyborg took him out of the Tower. I guess they believed I would kill him." Raven replied, closing her book.

Robin plopped the dog into the large box Beast Boy had set next to the TV, and sat down. "What are you reading?" Raven offered him the book. "Shadows in The Soul."

Suddenly, Raven found herself knocked into Robin. She promptly fell on his lap. The puppy was sitting on the edge of the couch, its head tilted. It seemed to be laughing.

"Okay, I am going to kill Beast Boy." Raven said. She sat up, and found herself sitting across Robin's lap. Both teens blushed, and separated as quickly as possible. Robin picked the dog up.

"How did he get out of the box? Its too high to jump."

* * *

In her sleep, Raven smiled. She was dreaming again, but this time, she could make out the one in her dream. 

_Raven sat back, watching the sunset. Robin's head was on her lap, and he was napping, a contented smile on his lips._

_He was hers, after all._

Raven, being asleep, didn't notice her door being pawed open, or a small head peeking in.

Robin, half-asleep, walked down the hall. He'd gotten up, his throat painfully dry, and had gone to get a glass of water. On his way back, he saw a small set of hindquarters wriggling into Raven's room.

"Toby, no!" He whispered. Robin swore later that he saw the dog look over its shoulder, grinning. Then, Toby the Lab vanished into Raven's room.

Swallowing nervously, Robin slid the door open farther and crept inside.

"Toby?" Robin's voice was barely even a whisper. He knelt down, and began to search Raven's room for the stupid mutt.

After a few minutes, Robin heard something crash, and he jumped up. Turning toward Raven's bed, he saw her sitting up, staring at him through the dimness.

"What the hell are you doing in here, Robin?"

"I saw Toby come in here." Robin replied, hoping that Raven was sane enough to let him live. Raven flicked on the lights, and glanced around. No dog, but Raven's paint easel was on the ground.

"I see no dog, Robin." Raven said, her voice tinged with a dangerous edge. Robin was about to respond, when he noticed what constituted Raven's sleepwear: a pair of shorts and a tank top. A tight, form fitting tank top and the shorts weren't exactly loose.

"I…" Robin thought quickly. "I guess I just imagined it." He gave a hopeful grin.

Raven found it difficult to be mad when Robin had no shirt on. She rolled her eyes. "Good night, Robin."

* * *

"Toby the Dog" watched from a corner of the room. He was invisible, and so far, the mission was going as planned. He gave a doggie grin as he contemplated his next move.

* * *

Stupid…idiotic…handsome…sophomoric…cute…idiot. 

I cannot believe he came into my room, when I was asleep.

Of course, I can't believe he saw me in my pajamas.

Heh. I saw him without a shirt, so there!

Still, there's something going on with that dog.

* * *

I'm an idiot. 

I am a stupid, stupid man.

Why did I go into Raven's room, when she was asleep?

I should have just let Raven take care of the dog, when she found him in the morning.

I know that miserable little mutt was in there.

Heh. I saw Raven in her PJ's.

I'm going to kill Beast Boy and his dog all the same.

* * *

Raven walked into the lounge, and her eyes widened when she saw that Toby had a black and yellow cape in his jaws. 

"Where did you get that?" Raven demanded, forgetting for a moment that dogs can't speak. "Give me that." Raven grabbed the cape, but Toby growled, and began to pull.

Of course, a disaster was imminent. Raven heard a scratching sound, but before she could react, the cape tore, and she fell back. However, instead of crashing onto the floor, Raven hit someone, who caught her, his hands gripping her hip and just below the swell of her breast.

Raven didn't even have to look to see who it was. The gloves gave it away. "Umm…Robin, you can let go, now."

Robin wasn't so sure he could, or that he wanted to. "Are you sure?" He asked Raven softly. "You aren't going to fall again?"

"No, Robin, I'm not." Raven responded as softly. Robin let her go, and Raven handed him his torn cape.

"Raven, I…" Robin wasn't really sure what he wanted to say. "I…"

"Have you seen Toby?" Beast Boy asked as he came into the room, spoiling the moment.

* * *

Robin's dreams that night were somewhat a relief to his mind. _Robin was sitting next to Raven. He was, like usual, quiet until she spoke, out of respect for her peace of mind._

"_You know this is a dream, Right?" Raven asked. "Likely brought on by what keeps happening to us when that dog is around."_

"_It's a dream, I know that. But I also don't care." Robin replied. He took his mask off, and turned his blue-eyed gaze on dream-Raven. "I want to kill that dog, but he's also helped me realize something."_

_Raven's questioning look made Robin smile. "And what would that be?"_

"_I can't tell you." Robin said, his smile becoming a grin. "Not in a dream, at least."_

Raven dreamt as well, and Robin joined her within the dream. _Raven had been sitting on the roof of the tower, enjoying the warmth of the sun as its rays splashed her face._

_Raven wasn't meditating. She had already done that. Right now, she was thinking about the last few days._

_Despite her acknowledgement that this was a dream, it still allowed Raven to come to realize something, something that made her heart jump when the Boy Wonder sat down next to her._

Neither of them realized, that in the back corners of the dream, a small Labrador pup sat, watching.

* * *

I don't know why, but I decided to join the rest of the group for breakfast. I'm not eating, but I am sitting here. 

Beast Boy is messing with that dumb dog and I swear that as I think that, the dog looks at me.

Cyborg is happily gobbling down what he calls his "All-meat Meat Lover's Breakfast Paradise."

And Star, well, she's busy flirting with my Robin. Mentally, I try to calm myself down, and look at it abjectly.

Robin's not mine, right now, he's no one's. But, Jealously is still putting up a fight.

* * *

Why me? I'm trying to work up the nerve to catch Raven later, and tell her how I feel, and Starfire shows up with a plate of stuff I wouldn't even feed Toby. 

All through breakfast, Starfire keeps trying to get my attention, but I stay focused on the bacon I managed to steal from Cyborg. I'm siting at the perfect angle to look at Raven without anyone noticing, for which I'm glad.

Is it me, or does she look angry?

And why does that dog keep looking over here?

* * *

Raven left the table first, saying she needed to go meditate. Robin, ready to take his chance, excused himself, and left Starfire wondering what was going on. 

"Raven?" He called for the girl's attention, and she stopped outside her room.

"What, Robin?" She asked. Robin forgot what he wanted to say. Raven looked at him, amused that the Boy Wonder was flustered. She took mercy on him.

She kissed him, and when his mind wrapped around that thought, Robin kissed her back.

Toby peeked around the corner, watching this. The little dog nodded, and stepped back.

Arella rose out of the dog's small form, and smiled. She nodded again, and wished her daughter luck before returning to Azarath.


End file.
